4 takeaways from Democratic debate: female VP promised, Hyde Amendment attacked

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Monday, March 16, 2020

Coronavirus

A Chinese health worker checks the temperature of a woman entering a subway station during the Chinese New Year and Spring Festival on January 25, 2020, in Beijing, China. | Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

The coronavirus pandemic received a fair amount of attention at the debate, with the two presidential hopefuls bumping elbows at the start of the event rather than shake hands.

During his remarks, Biden laid out his plans to fight the disease, including making testing for the virus more readily accessible.

“I would have the World Health Organization, I’d take advantage of the test kits they have available to us, even though the president says a million or more are coming, let’s just get all the tests we can done as quickly as we can,” said Biden.

“I would make sure that every state in the union had at least 10 places where they had drive-through testing arrangements.”

As part of his response, Sanders took time to denounce President Donald Trump, arguing that he was “undermining the doctors and the scientists who are trying to help the American people.”

“It is unacceptable for him to be blabbering with un-factual information which is confusing the general public,” stated Sanders, who did commend Trump for eventually declaring a state of national emergency.